Battle of Kankoku Pass/Day 15

The whole coalition army goes for an all out attack. Both Kanmei and Karin army starts moving. Moubu army charges the Chu army of Kanmei using the Echelon formation. Tou army gets distracted by the Karin army using war elephants as a decoy to cover her main army's movements which she uses the opportunity to surround the Tou army. Tou makes his army deploy in a defensive formation, protecting all sides to not become flanked of the encircling Chu army. Ouhon and Mouten becomes 5000-man commanders of Tou's left and right army, using cavalry hit and run tactics to help the defending infantry lines.

What's more, the deadly poison has taken a great effect on Chou Tou. The Wei Army hit Kankokou pass with Siege Crossbows and use them as a means to climb in the wall, while at the same time they send more siege towers. Kan Ki, seeing this, decides to use the towers to descend into the battlefield.

Kanki's tactic

While on top of Kankoku pass he had spotted Sei Kai, the Han commander's HQ being closer than Wei commander's HQ and decided to take matters into his own hands. He and his men decided that during the mist of chaos and confusion they could head for the Han's HQ dressed as Wei soldiers.

His strategy was to ride through the Wei and Han army with a Wei flag until he comes close enough to lead a charge with 6 different units a total of 400 soldiers on the Han HQ. General Chou Tou who is slowly dying because of being poisoned by Sei Kai's catapults decides that there is no need for him to stay and leaves Mou Gou in charge of the whole wall and joins Kanki's unit with his own cavalry unit.

Sei Kai slain by Choutou

Kan Ki's plan was successful and Chou Tou

Chou Tou's death

managed to reach close enough to the Han commander and take his head. However, worn out by the poison's effect, Chou Tou left his last breath at the battlefield. Kan Ki took advantage of the confusion and escaped the battlefield, while also destroying some of the siege weapons as well.

The tower on Kankoku pass burning

All these came with a great cost, as the Kakoku pass was close to being overrun by the Coalition army. However, the wall still far from fallen. In order to completely take the Kankoku pass, the enemy army has to descend to the inside and remove the rocks blocking the entrance. Behind the Kankoku pass, a reserve army was awaiting the intruders to prevent that from happening.
General Ou Sen, responsible for defending the left mountain path to the Kankoku pass, took a surprise attack by general Ordo and his mountain tribes army. Ordo's army was well trained at mountain warfare and managed to climb the hills with little effort and overwhelm Ousen's main defense. At that point Ousen withdrew his army to the northeast part of the mountain, seemingly retreating or even fleeing from the battlefield. Ordo took this chance and invaded the mountain paths aiming for the last high cliff, which would lead him behind the Kankoku pass. Little did he know thatOusen predicted his move and pretended to flee, and had now appeared right behind Ordo's army.

Karin's army enters the battlefield

On the evening of the 15th day, the battle focuses on the right side of the walls.
General Tou's square formation keeps taking waves of attacks by the Chu army. General Tou himself has gone out of the formation to replace commander Mou Ten and give his men a chance to get a breather. Seeing that, General Karin of the Chu 2nd army sends in commander Kou Yoku with 5000 men and tells him to bring back Tou's head. Karin enters the battle herself, leading her army head on to the front of the square formation, right where commander Ryuu Koku's forces are stationed. Karin's army advances slowly but steadily through the Qin soldiers but at some point its rare part takes combined attacks by the survivors of Roku O Mi's and Kanou's armies and the army of commander Ou Hon.

Moubu's Echelon formation

Shoheikun's strategy

General Moubu, after sending a second wave of Echelon Formation against Kan Mei's army, reveals his ultimate battle plan, designed by Shou Hei Kun himself; the Echelon formation's purpose was to trick the enemy commander into thinking that Moubu was aiming to strike at his army's sides, thus sending his reinforcements to their aid. that way, the middle part of the Chu army would be left without backup and Mou Bu would be able to make a push with his army and reach the enemy commander. Shou Hei Kun believed that slaying Kanmei would be no simple task, but doing so would effect the whole battle.

Moubu followed the plan in detail and managed to launch a head on attack and reach Kanmei. The Chu general, proud of his immense strength headed out to meet Moubu in battle. The two men clashed, with Kanmei having an evident advantage in brute strength, to everyone's surprise.

Moubu finishes Kanmei off

As the duel continued, Kanmei and Moubu gave each other serious wounds, while their stamina was running really low. In the mean time, Karin who had reached closer to the scene, sent her brother Kaen to stab Moubu from behind and ensure Kanmei's victory. Mouten, who had followed Karin's army, rode fast and intercepted Kaen before he managed to interfere with the duel. Kaen frustrated, pushed Mouten on Moubu's horse and Kanmei, irritated by the interruption, slashed Mouten with his sword. When Moubu saw his son bleeding to death, he snapped and with two swings of his mace he crushed Kanmei's head, killing him on spot.

The news of Kanmei's death spread quickly across the different battlefields. The Qin armies and the war council cheered with joy hearing the great news, while the coalition headquarters on the other hand got frustrated, especially Shushinkun by the thought of the Chu commander-in-chief Kanmei "the coalition army's might" getting himself killed. Ri Boku remained calm and suggested the Chu army to withdraw and regroup and, though the chances of breaking through Kankoku pass were now slim, saw an opportunity for the Zhao to make a move as he sent word for General Kei Sha.

By the end of the day the Chu army had been mostly destroyed and routed, which gave the combined Moubu army a chance to flank the Han and Wei army. The Wei were able to keep attacking by using the Han as a shield. Shushinkun was then ready to take command of the Chu himself, but was advised by Ri Boku not to, because the battle field had already been lost. They then received a message from Karin, saying that victory is right before their eyes and they should be ready to move through Kankoku pass at a moment's notice. It is revealed that the Karin army had already disengaged and retreated back out of caution for the Moubu army's flank attack.

Karin saw things differently. She claimed that stopping an army from protecting Kankoku pass wasn't the method of winning the battle, but rather the main objective is to penetrate it and by doing so they would be the victors. She was also happy by the thought of having no rival stronger than her in Chu army anymore with Kanmei gone. Karin sent word to the coalition HQ that "Victory was before their very eyes". Before the battle commenced she had sneaked 5000 men of her elite soldiers right through a passage leading into the mountains during the elephant unit's charge which served as a distraction. The Moubu and Tou armies were unaware of this action and this led to Mougou and Kanki getting flanked inside the very gates.

Karin's 5000 elite soldiers.

Karin's elite soldiers are the strongest men among the whole Chu military, Shushinkun said, and commented that 5000 of these men were enough to defeat the enemies inside the gates. Karin's men charged into the Qin army guarding the gates and it all quickly became a chaotic battle as the men suddenly became mixed up with Qin, Chu and the Wei soldiers coming from every direction. The elite soldiers took control of the gate and pulled out most of the boulders blocking the entrance, while Gouhomei had the Wei army ready to charge through the gate. Mougou, realizing this, trembled in fear and felt guilt as he thought to himself that this would be the end of Kankoku pass, all because of him.

Ousen army coming the rescue

Fortunately for Qin, Ousen had seen through this scheme and descended the hills at the left side of the pass to help out and Qin regained control of the gates thanks to this. Ordo had been completely outplayed by Ousen on the physocological level. Since Ordo had lost his elite unit of 8000 mountain tribe warriors, he chose to remain cautious by staying in the moutain forts which Ousen had left over, meanwhile 10 000 men had been sent by Ousen to help the inside of Kankoku pass, knowing that Ordo would not move his army so quickly after suffering a vital blow after the ambush.

The coalition army retreats

The whole coalition realized now that breaking through Kankoku pass would now be more difficult than ever and at the same time the news of Kanmei's death and the Chu army's defeat which increase morale of the Qin armies on the different battlefields. Heki showed up to assist Duke Hyou and Shin against the Zhao army, but Riboku had already signaled General Keisha and all of the coalition generals to retreat, the whole coalition army had fallen back to their positions before the battle started to rethink a strategy. The war council of Qin and the Qin army had been the victors of the day as they cheered with joy and celebrated the night. At the 15th day of the battle of Kankoku pass, the coalition army falls back.